Authentic Handmade Soba Noodles

1. Start by whisking 250 g soba flour and 70 g bread flour together, then sifting them into a large bowl. Measure out 150 ml water and set it next to the bowl.
2. Place the bowl on top of a damp tea towel to stop it from moving. Add a small amount of water from the jug to your hands, and mix it into the flour mixture by hand. Make a claw shape with your fingers and swirl in a circular motion.
3. Continue to add the water a little at a time and mix thoroughly before adding the next part. It's important not to add too much water at once as this can make the flour unevenly hydrated. Depending on the season or climate, you might not need all of the water (or you might need a little more), adjust accordingly.
4. Once there is no more dry flour and it becomes small rice grain-sized clumps, start pressing it together to form a dough.
5. Knead the dough by folding the edges inward repeatedly. If the dough seems crumbly or cracks easily, moisten your hands with water and continue to knead until smooth. The bottom of the dough will show creases from the folding motion.
6. Using the edges of the bowl, roll the dough into a cone shape.
7. Place the dough on a surface lightly dusted with cornstarch, then press the cone flat to make a perfect disc shape. Dust the top with additional cornstarch.
8. Use your palms to evenly stretch out the edges, flattening as much as possible before moving onto a rolling pin. Turn the dough occasionally to ensure it doesn't stick.
9. Roll the dough out as thin as possible, preferably about 3mm thick. Then cut it into manageable pieces to feed through your pasta machine.
10. Dust each piece with cornstarch before feeding through the pasta machine. Start with the widest setting (usually 0) and reduce by 1 setting each time until you reach "3" or spaghetti thickness equivalent.
11. Use a spaghetti-cutting attachment to cut the soba noodles to the appropriate size.

How to Cook

1. Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil and add the noodles. Cook for 1 minute 45 seconds, then drain and rinse with cold water to wash. If serving hot, rinse once more with hot water to warm through.

How to Store

1. Divide the noodles into individual portions and carefully wrap them with plastic wrap, taking care not to squash them together. Place the bundles in a sealable zip lock bag or airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 1-2 days, or up to 1 month in the freezer.